No doubt a lot of ILYOS readers are big fans of Broderick Smith’s work with the Dingoes. Nearly as many of you probably love his stuff with Carson, and/or with his Big Combo. Hopefully some of you have checked out his solo stuff too. We’re betting though, that not many of you are even aware of this fantastically weird album he did with Melbourne’s young psychedelic band King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard a couple of years ago. Eyes Like the Sky is a short story written by Brod, who no doubt is a fan of the old Western writers like Zane Grey and Louis L'Amour. Eyes Like the Sky, the album, is Brod reading his story, with the King Gizzard boys playing some wild spaghetti western-inspired psych rock behind him. It’s a fantastic listen.
The collaboration came about no doubt because Brod’s son Ambrose Kenny-Smith is a member of King Gizzard (as well as singing and playing harp in his own band The Murlocs, who are signed to King Gizzard’s own Flightless label as well). Brod, back in his Carson days in particular, was known for putting out some pretty hypnotic grooves, and that’s what King Gizzard are known for themselves.
King Gizzard, if you haven’t heard of them, have since gone on to become something of a national and international sensation, and a leading example of a new brand of anything-goes and very spontaneous psychedelic rock. They’re self-sufficient and super prolific (having released 9 self-recorded albums since 2012, including one so far this year, with another four – yes 4 – promised before we hit 2018!) and are popular enough to hit the ARIA album charts here now with each new release (their latest one debuted at #2) and to tour regularly throughout the US and Europe. Indeed, Flying Microtonal Banana hit #1 on the Billboard vinyl chart. They're a genuine phenomenon. They’re also genuine pranksters, and caused a bit of a commotion in the ‘biz’ when they got themselves into the final nominations for ‘Best Jazz’ album in the 2015 ARIA’s. In November, they won the ARIA for Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal album, which didn't really amuse the other nominees!
Their second album of the year (following album Flying Microtonal Banana which came out in February) is called Murder of the Universe and will be released on June 23 2017.
Here’s what Brod had to say about his collaboration with King Gizzard in on his site back in 2012:
“King Gizzard, by the way, asked me to write a short story of sorts and narrate it for their new CD, and the damn thing worked out real well. My good friend Matt Walker said the fact that I was nearly 65 and they’re all 20 made sense because I was the only performer from my era that could do it. Not sure what he meant by that but it sounds good.”
Anyway, you can check out Eyes Like The Sky below - we've included a short trailor and then the whole thing. Then check out a couple of our King Gizzard faves below that ("Bone" is a great pop tune, and the video for "Human-Vultures" has to be seen to be believed). We’ll finish off with a couple from Brod – the Dingoes on GTK, and Carson at Sunbury.
And don't forget - the Dingoes and Broderick Smith’s Big Combo are on both The Glory Days of Aussie Pub Rock Volume 1 and Volume 2. The Dingoes can also be heard on our new I Remember When I Was Young: Oz Music in the early and mid-70s! playlist on Spotify. Check it out and follow it to get the updates!
Eyes Like The Sky trailer
Eyes Like The Sky - the whole album
Fab King Gizzard single from 2015's Paper Mache Dream Balloon album
From 2016's Nonagon Infinity - one of the wildest videos made by anyone ever!
Brod & The Dingoes on GTK
Brod with Carson! Boogie!
- DL
